Give advice – and help us to save lives

As healthcare workers, friends, neighbours and colleagues often ask our advice around medical and vaccine issues. Some of you will have been asked about the HPV vaccine and whether it is safe to give to our children.

This topic is likely to be raised again as the HSE National Immunisation Office is currently asking parents around the country to consent to their daughters receiving the HPV vaccine. HPV vaccine protects against cervical cancer and saves lives.

You may have heard stories that the HPV vaccine is unsafe and causes harm. These stories have led to some parents being genuinely afraid to consent to HPV vaccination. However, these stories are simply untrue.

Over 200,000 girls in Ireland and 100 million people worldwide in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have safely received the HPV vaccine. Not one of these people anywhere in the world has been medically proven to have had a long term side effect from getting the vaccine. Despite the scare stories, there are no ‘alternative facts’ that stand up to even the most basic medical or scientific scrutiny. Unfortunately, there are some naturally occurring conditions that can make teenage girls unwell, but the World Health Organization and every national regulatory body in the world have said 100% that the

HPV vaccine does not cause any of the alleged side effects. In fact, international studies have found that the alleged side effects are just as common in people who have never received the HPV vaccine at all.

Some girls missed out on the first dose of the HPV vaccine in September 2016. It is not too late for them to get this life saving vaccine and all girls who missed out on their first dose will be offered the vaccine again in March 2017 when vaccination teams visits schools around the country.

Please take the time to visit www.hpv.ie for a wide range of information including videos and fact sheets about the vaccine, how it saves lives and its excellent safety record.

We are asking you to help us to save lives by recommending the vaccine to those who seek our opinions and to recommend www.hpv.ie to friends, neighbours and colleagues who are seeking information about the HPV vaccine.